Skip to main content

My Plans

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3 NIV

I was looking through various translations of Proverbs 16:3. I found that I received each one differently. For as long as I can remember, I have considered this as a verse that makes me think of success. If I commit my actions to God, He will be in my plans. Almost like God is some sort of genie in a bottle. It's a transaction based understanding. If I do A, God will do B for me and B happens to be something I planned out.  

The New Living Translation seems to support my understanding as it says, "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed." Essentially, if I commit MY actions to God, MY plans will succeed. I seem to be the central focus of this approach.  

There seems to be a flaw in my understanding. If I am the one whose plans are being fulfilled, how can my actions honor God? If I were to truly commit my actions to God, could I still have my own plans? If whatever I do is for God, shouldn't my plans really be the same as His plans? Can I have plans that are my own if I have truly surrendered fully to God?

Usually when I read the King James Version of the Bible I walk away confused. Old English is tough for me to comprehend. However, in this case the KJV has been key. It says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, And thy thoughts shall be established." The other versions speak about plans, but this version speaks about thoughts. That makes sense. If my actions are intentional for God, my thoughts will be for Him too.  

Think about it from the perspective of a project around the house. Maybe it is Saturday and you are going to do a deep clean of the house or you are building a new shed. That day your actions will be focused on that project. It consumes your thoughts and plans. Or maybe you are planning a vacation. It takes over your thoughts and plans. You may change your budget because you want to save for vacation or you decide to work overtime to earn more for this trip you are excited about. The vacation consumed your actions and your thoughts.  

God wants us to be the same with Him. He wants us to be consumed by Him. As we commit our actions to Him, He takes over our thoughts. His plans become ours. This is not a transactional relationship He is calling us into, but an overwhelming infiltration. God wants our hearts to be filled with Him. He wants our actions and thoughts to show this. 

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bold Like Stephen

I've always admired people who aren't afraid to be bold in their convictions.  It is the kind of boldness that allows them to stand out in the crowd. There is just something different about how these people view and engage the world around them.  The movie “Hacksaw Ridge” portrays a man that exemplifies what I mean by bold.  He was drafted to serve in World War II but refused to bear arms because of religious reasons. Yet, he still managed to receive the Congressional Medal of honor. Without a weapon in his hand, he saved 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite his objection to violence, he still served his country. Despite his objection to war he found a way to love his neighbor. He was bold.  When I think of bold in the Bible, I think of Stephen. Acts 6:8 says, "Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Stephen faced opposition to his teachings. Those that opposed his teachings couldn't ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Do the Work

Sometimes I sit down to write and it just seems like I am trying to write with a pen without ink. There is simply nothing productive coming from the activity. Other times, God just pours it out on me. The ideas flow and the message comes together with ease. More often than not it's the former rather than the latter. It seems God likes to make us work for it. The ones I have to work a bit harder on become the ones I like the most. I think we appreciate the things we have to work for more than the things that come easy. Our LifeGroup recently read about the Miraculous Catch of Fish. You know the story where Peter and his buddies have been out fishing all night and came back to shore completely empty handed. That next morning, Jesus asks them to take him out in the boat. Once out on the water, He has them put the nets back down and they bring in loads and loads of fish. So many fish that two boats almost sank.  I guess Jesus could have just made the fish jump into th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Anchor House Week 4: Strawberries

This week I had the chance to come through on a promise I made to one of our regular ships. When they were in port last we were hanging out in the break room with the crew. Somehow we got on the subject of strawberries, Florida strawberries of course. I made the bold statement that Florida strawberries were the best. Trish followed up by clarifying that Plant City’s are the best. She had a point that is hard to argue with. In the discussion, I told the seafarer that I would bring them some strawberries next time they were at Port Manatee. Sure enough the next time they were in port I ran to Detweillers, first thing in the morning, and picked up a half of a flat of some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen. They were big, red, perfectly placed in the container in a neat and orderly fashion. They looked magnificent. As we approached the ship, the seafarer whom I had made the promise to waved and said, “You remembered!” After we boarded the ship, we t...
Post a Comment
Read more